MicroRNA and hyperglycemic memory in the diabetic heart

“Hyperglycemic memory” is an interesting term. This hypothesis was first put forward in 1990 by Roy et al. (1), after which this phenomenon was named “metabolic” or “hyperglycemic” memory (2,3). Recently, two-meta analyses showed that intensive glycemic control had no impact on the risk of heart failure in patients with diabetes mellitus (4,5). It is possible that the small benefit on non-fatal myocardial infarctions and microalbuminuria may be offset by a significant increase in the risk of severe hypoglycemia (4), and the detrimental effects of hyperglycemia may persist even after restoration of normal glucose levels, that is, “hyperglycemic” or “metabolic” memory. Collectively, these data suggest that such memories are stored early in the course of diabetes, supporting the hypothesis of hyperglycemic memory.